Council advances tree-mitigation ordinance after public hearing, asks staff to soften resident replacement rules

Bastrop City Council held a public hearing on a proposed tree-protection ordinance (first reading) that would create a mitigation fee schedule, set replacement requirements and establish penalties for unauthorized tree removal. The ordinance passed first reading with an amendment directing staff to revise how replacement trees are required for private homeowners in cases where the city determines removal is for health and safety.

Key provisions: Development Services staff explained the proposed framework: a mitigation fee set at $400 per caliper inch for protected trees removed without complying with the ordinance; required replacement inches on a caliper-for-caliper basis; and doubling of required mitigation (fee and replacement inches) for noncompliant removals. The ordinance also creates a misdemeanor penalty of $500 to $2,000 per tree for removal without required permits and provides an administrative appeal path to the city manager and, if needed, to the tree advisory board.

Public comment and staff clarifications: Colton Sam Meyer (resident) asked whether a homeowner would face a fee for removing a large diseased tree; Development Services presenter James Guy replied the city would connect the homeowner with an arborist and if the arborist determined the tree was diseased the homeowner would not pay the mitigation fee. Guy summarized the application, inspection and appeal process for private property, and he confirmed smaller trees on single-family lots (below enumerated thresholds) are treated differently under the ordinance.

Council amendment: Several council members raised concerns that the replacement requirement — which uses small nursery stock caliper inches (commonly 2-inch trees) to replace much larger specimens — could require impractical numbers of replacement trees when an exceptionally large tree dies or must be removed for public-safety reasons. The council voted to approve first reading but directed staff to revise the language in letter F of the ordinance to provide a more tailored replacement approach for residential health-and-safety removals and to return that revised language at the second reading.

What happens next: The ordinance passed first reading with the amendment; staff will draft the revised replacement language and the item will return for second reading at a future council meeting where council will consider the updated language and any additional legal recitals recommended by the city attorney.

What the record does not show: The council did not adopt a final, specific alternative replacement formula in this meeting — it instructed staff to propose changes and return them for the next reading.